Two Hundred Years Later, McLean Reaffirms Its Commitment to Care

McLean and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) owe their existence to Rev. John Bartlett, who ran the Boston Almshouse. In 1810, he urged two prominent Boston physicians, Drs. John Collins Warren and James Jackson, to lobby the city’s wealthiest and most influential residents for the creation of a hospital for the sick, including a separate asylum for the mentally ill, according to the letter they circulated. The result was a general hospital that would become MGH and an asylum that came to be McLean Hospital.

Against the venerable backdrop of the Massachusetts Senate Chamber and with several descendants of Drs. Warren and Jackson in attendance, McLean celebrated the 200th anniversary of its founding on February 25, 2011.

The State House ceremony was the first of a series of celebrations taking place during the 2011 bicentennial year.

Senate President Therese Murray, who presided over the ceremony, was joined by House Speaker Pro Tempore Patricia Haddad, other legislators and dignitaries, as well as McLean President and Psychiatrist in Chief Scott L. Rauch, MD, and MGH President Peter Slavin, MD. Both leaders spoke about the significance of the birth of the two institutions and their continued dedication to their missions.

“While many things have changed since our founding, our commitment to the people we serve—our patients and their families—remains the focal point of our mission today,” said Rauch. “I reaffirm our dedication to McLean’s precious mission of compassionate clinical care, scientific discovery, professional training, and public education in order to improve the lives of people with psychiatric illness and their families.”

Learn more about McLean Hospital’s rich history and progress spanning 200 years.

Read the press release for McLean’s 200 year celebration.